News Pistons Team Notes

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs Kings final score: Detroit cruises to an easy victory over Sacramento

After losing the Battle of the Thompson Twins on Friday night and ending their four-game winning streak, the Detroit Pistons showed up to their Sunday matinee against the Sacramento Kings with an opportunity to bounce back. Detroit showed their strength as the #1 team in the East as they dominated the Kings 139-116.

Jalen Duren kicked off Detroit with a strong first quarter as Sacramento struggled to defend JD inside – though, they would go on to struggle defensively the whole night. Duren would score 10 of Detroit’s first 20 points while a Tobias Harris three-pointer at the buzzer put the game at a 35-35 tie at the end of the first.

After shooting poorly the last few games with an injured wrist, Cade Cunningham showed up playing aggressive. He was punishing smaller Kings defenders in the post and found his jump shot in this one. He had 19 points, five rebounds, and eight assists in 19 first half minutes and that helped Detroit score 43 second quarter minutes to take a 78-65 lead. It’s the most they’ve scored in the first half all season.

It was one of those games that felt over by halftime.

There were still more than four minutes left in the third by the time Detroit had 100 points. The Pistons kept their foot on the gas and would extend their lead to 20 by the start of the fourth quarter. Sacramento does not have the defensive answers against Detroit, though, they didn’t seem to have the effort, either.

JB Bickerstaff would get to empty the bench in the final frame as 14 Detroit players got to see the court. Eight guys of the usual 10-man rotation (no Caris LeVert) would finish with double-digit points. Detroit would go on to shoot 55% from the field and 16-for-31 from deep on their route to a 139-116 final score.

Cade finished with 29 points, five rebounds, and 11 assists after being on triple double watch at halftime. He had a couple of sloppy turnovers, but still had a very efficient game despite shooting only one free throw. Jalen Duren faced little opposition down low and added 18 points.

Good things happen with this team gets three-point makes out of their starting SG and PF positions. Tobias Harris and Duncan Robinson combined to shoot 7-for-12 from deep, each with six attempts. In the seven games this season where Tobias Harris attempted at least six three-pointers, the Pistons are 6-1. This proves we should trade for a sharpshooting PF, right?

Bench players Ron Holland, Jaden Ivey, Daniss Jenkins, and Javonte Green would all go on to score 11 points each. After a strong showing, Holland received an unfortunate ejection after a weird tussle with Keon Ellis.

Another strong win for the strongest team in the East. Detroit next plays Tuesday night as they head west to take on Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets up in the Denver mountains.

Go Stones.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...it-cruises-to-an-easy-victory-over-sacramento

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Kings Discussion: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

The Detroit Pistons are back at it, trying to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets. The good news is, if you need a get-right game, you can’t do much better than face the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have lost four in a row, crashing back into reality after a fun little four-game winning streak. To win, however, Detroit is going to need to figure out its offense — particularly if Cade Cunningham remains significantly less than 100% and can’t be counted on for 30-ish points. Jalen Duren can still do his work inside, but the spacing is a huge issue, and the lack of a second creator is an uncomfortable reality while Jaden Ivey remains post-injury-Ivey and Caris LeVert remains … Caris LeVert. It’d be nice to see Javonte Green and Daniss Jenkins find a groove that leads to the confident, efficient outside shooting that the Pistons are capable of in spurts.

Game Vitals​

When: 3 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -13.5

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (32-11)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Sacramento Kings (12-34)​

Russell Westbrook, Keon Ellis, DeMar DeRozan, Precious Achiuwa, Domantas Sabonis

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...s-kings-discussion-game-time-tv-odds-and-more

 

[Detroit Pistons]

The Pistons, Duncan Robinson and the need for more

Duncan Robinson is playing arguably the best ball of his career, but is it enough?

Duncan Robinson is a nice player.

He was a cheap addition this offseason for a Detroit Pistons team that saw its 3-point shooting evaporate in free agency when Tim Hardaway Jr. left for the Denver Nuggets and, of course, Malik Beasley had the whole Malik Beasley situation arise out of nowhere.

It left the Pistons, coming off their best season in years, desperate for shooting and spacing.

Enter, Robinson.

The longtime Miami Heat sharpshooter was signed to a modest deal and he’s more than earned his keep as a starter with the Pistons. Robinson is averaging 12.1 points with 2.9 threes per game while shooting 44% from the field and 41% from downtown.

He’s opened up the floor for Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren to operate with space and they’ve both put together career years and has been a neutral defender for the second-best defense in the NBA.

There isn’t much more you could ask for from Robinson.

And there’s not much more you can expect.

This is Robinson’s ceiling. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s the reality. Detroit is on its way to a top seed in the East and a legitimate chance to win the title. This isn’t a post telling you they need to put their chips in for a Trey Murphy III or some of them for a Michael Porter Jr., though both would be worth looking at.

It’s a moment to realize that the Pistons need more shooting, and maybe another Duncan Robinson, if they want to take this regular season success into the postseason.

Teams have found ways to mitigate a stand-still shooter like Robinson in the playoffs in spurts during his career — mainly, the last two seasons with Miami. I really would worry about the Pistons scoring in a playoff series if he wasn’t giving them anything.

The Pistons shot 27% from 3 in the two games he missed this season, which is putrid, and when he has a bad game, the Pistons lose. That’s basically the pattern. It wasn’t *as* bad last year with THJ and Beasley because you had two high-level shooters. Now, it’s just Duncan.

The Pistons need Robinson to hit his 3s to be at their best. When you reach a first-to-four wins situation come April, that’s a lot of weight on your only shooter’s shoulders. It’s an unfair burden, really, because Robinson’s limitations aren’t exposed in a regular season setting as much as they will in the playoffs.

That’s true of every player and every archetype, but unless you’re an otherworldly defensive juggernaut like the Oklahoma City Thunder last season — and let me be clear, these Pistons are not that — you need shooting. They don’t have to be the run-and-gun Warriors of year’s past, but they need another guy.

They need a shooter who is a shooter, not a guy who can make shots. That’s an important point to make. Jaden Ivey is shooting the three well, rounding back into the form he showed last season. But he’s not a big off-ball threat who comes off screens and finds space to get his shot.

The Robinson-types are more than just guys who can hit threes, they’re guys who thrive without the ball in their hands and can find pockets to create spacing. Sam Hauser in Boston. AJ Green in Milwaukee. Sam Merrill in Cleveland. The Pistons, at minimum, need more guys in that mold for the games where Robinson isn’t a factor.

Just some food for thought as the trade deadline approaches. Curious what you all think!

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...pistons-duncan-robinson-and-the-need-for-more

 

[Detroit Pistons]

The Pindown I In a League of Their Own

The Pistons may have dropped a tight contest against a strong Houston Rockets team, but they are still sitting alone at the top of the Eastern Conference. With the trade deadline right around the corner, Wes and Blake break down that loss to the Rockets and what it might mean for the playoffs to come. How should the team counter the Rockets’ defensive strategy? How often will Cade see that defense? They also dive into a mock trade deadline that Wes was fortunate enough to participate in, hosted by the Bird Rights Podcast. What trades were these fake Pistons able to make? What do we think about the value of those deals and how the roster fits together in that scenario? Finally, the guys answer the big question… would this team be better with Malik Beasley than they are with Duncan Robinson?

We’ve got you covered for all this and more in this week’s episode!

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Want to hear your voice on the Pindown? Call ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠(313) 355-2717⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and leave your question as a voicemail! The guys will play your message and answer your question on that week’s episode! All we ask is that you keep your questions to under 45 seconds.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detroit-pistons-podcasts/49134/the-pindown-i-in-a-league-of-their-own

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Submit your questions for The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast

Send in your questions now for this week’s episode of The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast to discuss everything Pistons. Submit your question to the comments section here or on X/Twitter to @TheRealWesD3 and/or @blakesilverman.

Join us live on Friday afternoon for the show where we’ll be joined by DBB’s own Kyle Metz to discuss the upcoming trade deadline. What should, and more importantly what can, the Pistons do? Who should Detroit target on the trade market? Which Pistons, if any, are most likely to find a new home during the season?

Plus, The Pindown has a phone line where you can leave a message and hear your voice on the show. Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message around 45 seconds or less so we can fit everyone into the show.

The podcast will be uploaded to all audio platforms the following morning.

The Pindown: A Detroit Pistons Podcast Vitals:​

When: Friday January 30 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Detroit Bad Boys YouTube Channel

How to submit questions:

• Detroit Bad Boys Website: Comment section of the weekly Pindown episode articles.
• Call (313) 355-2717 and leave us a voicemail with your question. Please try to keep the message to 45 seconds or less.
• Twitter: @detroitbadboys, @blakesilverman or @therealwesd3
• YouTube: Chat section of The Pindown live recording — Subscribe here

As always, leave any questions or topics you want to be discussed in the comment section below.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...ons-for-the-pindown-a-detroit-pistons-podcast

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Under the Hood: Ol’ Reliable

Under the Hood – it’s time to see what’s really going on inside this Pistons team.

Firing on All Cylinders

When Detroit needed a bucket in the fourth quarter, Tobias Harris delivered.

As the final frame started, he was hot early hitting two midrange fadeaways on back-to-back possessions.

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He was running in transition late in the fourth in clutch time.

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He bailed out Cade Cunningham’s bobbling dribble by hitting his third post fadeaway with 18 seconds left to extend the lead to three.

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And when his team needed him the most, he delivered by knocking down both free throws to make it a three-point game once again.

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Transmission Trouble

I was a little bit disappointed with Cade’s performance in the final minute. He struggled to produce a shot late before Tobias’ clutch fadeaway, but he had a couple of questionable decisions as well.

With just over a minute left and a four-point lead, it felt like Cade rushed this midrange attempt. The possession starts with 17 seconds on the shot clock and it felt like a shot he still could’ve taken 10 seconds later. I believe they could’ve gotten a better shot with the time remaining.

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The following defensive possession from him was worse. There’s miscommunication between Duncan Robinson and Cade. Duncan hedges the screen from Tim Hardaway Jr which tells me they weren’t planning to switch. THJ sets a good screen on Cade, but both him and Duncan sprint to guard Jamal Murray. Both players leave THJ open at the top of the key as neither played communicated well enough on the screen.

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Mechanic’s Note

Lastly, I just wanted to share this dime from Daniss Jenkins to a Ron Holland corner three that got me to point at the screen like that Leonardo DiCaprio meme.

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Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pistons-videos/49202/under-the-hood-ol-reliable

 

[Detroit Pistons]

If Giannis is available, Trajan Langdon needs to make a call

The Detroit Pistons are having a season we haven’t seen in over a decade.

They’re competitive, they’re exciting, and they’re legitimately one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. But with reports surfacing that Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking to leave the Milwaukee Bucks, Trajan Langdon needs to pick up the phone.

Giannis isn’t just an All-Star — he’s a future Hall of Famer in his prime. A two-time MVP and NBA champion. This isn’t a guy who could be a co-star for Cade Cunningham. It isn’t someone who might make the All-Star team.

It’s one of the five best players in basketball.

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When was the last time a player of this caliber became available? These opportunities are once-in-a-generation. The Pistons haven’t had a player of Giannis stature since Isiah Thomas, and even then, you’re comparing all-time greats.

Yes, I know, acquiring Giannis will require opening the vault and paying up. Whether it’s draft picks (not so important at the end of the first round) or young players (more important because they can be cheap + good), Milwaukee is going to want a lot because, well, it’s freakin’ Giannis.

If you’re Langdon, and you truly think this team is ready to compete for a championship with a move like this, you have to weigh everything. I love Ausar Thompson and Ron Holland. Are they going to give you more — even combined — over the next two seasons compared to what Giannis can give you on his own?

Probably not.

Sure, the fear of the player option in 2027-28 is valid. Giannis could, and probably should, opt out to get one more massive contract. That’s a legitimate concern.

But you’re also getting two guaranteed years of a Hall of Fame player in his prime. Two years to go try and win a championship — including this year in the most downtrodden Eastern Conference in recent memory.

It’s two years to prove to Giannis that Detroit is where he wants to finish his career. And if he does leave? You’ll have made your best players better, changed the culture and shown the league that Detroit is serious about winning.

The Thunder are the odds-on favorites to win their second-straight title, and for good reason. They’re young, talented, deep and they play like demons on both ends. The gap between the best team in the East and the best team in the West is real.

I’m not of the belief that the Pistons, as currently constructed, are living in the same air space as Oklahoma City. The Thunder have put together a better season without their ALL-NBA FORWARD in Jalen Williams for most of it. They’re that good.

Adding Giannis helps close that gap. Suddenly, you’re not just the best team in the East. You’re a legitimate threat to beat anyone in a seven-game series. You have two superstars who can match up with anyone AND you keep your elite defense because you have a guy in Giannis who can guard 3s, 4s and 5s.

With a few veteran moves on the margins to fill the holes that you’d deal away for Giannis, you can easily have the experience and the talent to win it all.

The Pistons championship window has just opened, and it’s understandable to not want to push all of your chips in this soon. But, those windows don’t stay open forever. Contracts and personalities and lapses in player development cause teams to fall off schedule all the time in the NBA.

The time to be aggressive is when you have a foundation worth building on — which the Pistons finally do. Maybe the Pistons can get him, maybe they can’t, but to simply sit back and watch your chief rivals work to acquire one of the generation’s best players would be irresponsible.

I’m not telling you the Pistons must trade for Giannis.

But they do need to make a call and check in.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/pist...available-trajan-langdon-needs-to-make-a-call

 

[Detroit Pistons]

3-Man Fastbreak: Calm before the storm?

The first-place Detroit Pistons continue to roll through their early schedule without many major roadblocks along the way, going 8-2 over the last 10 games. The matchups will start to heat up though, as a three-game road trip kicked off last night in Denver. Things got started off on the right foot with a narrow win, but future challenges lie ahead in Phoenix and Golden State.

1. The best against the best?​

Despite a tough home loss to Houston on Friday, Detroit owns the best record in the Eastern Conference against teams with winning records (15–6), a 71% win rate that actually tops every team in the league, including Oklahoma City. They’re also 4–1 against the East’s top four, taking three of four from Boston and dismantling New York by 31 in their lone meeting.

That résumé comes with a caveat: Detroit has played the fewest games within that group and has only faced one of the West’s top three teams — a short-handed Denver squad. They have yet to face Oklahoma City or San Antonio.

2. Elite on the glass​

A lost art in today’s spacing-and-shooting NBA is dominating the glass – and the Pistons are elite in that area. Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart have stayed relatively healthy and anchored Detroit’s rebounding presence, while Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson are standout rebounders for their positions. That physicality and effort seem to cascade through the entire roster.

Detroit ranks fourth in the NBA in net rebound margin (+4.8) and fourth in offensive rebounds per game (13.4). That dominance translates directly into more possessions: the Pistons also rank first in net field goal attempts per game (+4.6). What they lack in consistent perimeter shooting, they compensate for by creating extra opportunities — something that consistently shows up on film. All stats prior to Tuesday’s game against Denver.

3. Who is the number two option?​

As is well-established, contending teams need a primary playmaker who can carry them through stretches – and the Pistons clearly have that in Cade Cunningham. What championship teams also tend to feature is a reliable secondary option who can tilt games when the star is bottled up. Last year, it was Jalen Williams. The year before, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum carried the Celtics together. And so on.

Detroit has several candidates in theory, but the questions remain: will someone separate themselves, and is that player good enough in that role to sustain production through multiple playoff series?

Jalen Duren has emerged as a scorer but is largely confined to the paint. Duncan Robinson and Tobias Harris are savvy veterans, yet somewhat one-dimensional in how they generate offense. That leaves Jaden Ivey and Dannis Jenkins – but both primarily operate when Cunningham is off the floor rather than alongside him. Or does Detroit need to look externally to fill that void?

Time will tell.

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/general/49186/3-man-fastbreak-calm-before-the-storm

 

[Detroit Pistons]

Pistons vs. Suns: Game Time, TV, Odds, and More

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 15: Collin Gillespie #12 of the Phoenix Suns plays against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on January 15, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Detroit Pistons get to face off against the Phoenix Suns for the second time in two weeks. This time, Detroit visits the Mortgage Matchup Center (yeesh, what a name) in Phoenix, Arizona. Detroit narrowly escaped with a win in the first matchup, 108-105. That game was close because Cade Cunningham was then playing his first game back after a 10-day absence because of a wrist injury and delivered one of his worst performances of the season. He shot just 3-of-16 and committed five turnovers. Conversely, the avowed enemy of Pistons fans everywhere, Grayson Allen, was torching the nets. He scored 33 points and hit 7 threes to almost will his team to victory.

Allen only has five games this season eclipsing the 20-point threshold, so hopefully he comes down to earth a little bit. Cunningham, meanwhile, seems to put the ailing wrist issues behind him. He scored 22 points in a win against the Denver Nuggets and 29 in a blowout against the Sacramento Kings, both times shooting better than 50% from the floor. Critically against the Nuggets, he had zero turnovers and dished 11 assists. That’s the Cunningham we like to see.

Game Vitals​

When: 9 p.m. ET
Where: Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network
Odds: Pistons -4

Projected Lineups​

Detroit Pistons (34-11)​

Cade Cunningham, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Phoenix Suns (28-19)​

Collin Gillespie, Grayson Allen, Dillon Brooks, Royce O’Neale, Mark Williams

Source: https://www.detroitbadboys.com/detr...27/pistons-vs-suns-game-time-tv-odds-and-more